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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29021172">The Twenty-Two-Minute Away Mission</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GracefulCharity/pseuds/GracefulCharity'>GracefulCharity</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Outer Wilds (Video Game), Star Trek: The Next Generation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Time Travel, nomai discovery, supernova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:55:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,934</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29021172</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GracefulCharity/pseuds/GracefulCharity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The crew of the Enterprise D encounter a star about to go supernova, and a distress signal from three ancient escape pods. Captain Picard decides to deploy an emergency away team to rescue the doomed inhabitants of the miniature solar system. He was not expecting his crew to become engrossed in a mystery of a long-extinct species and their bizarre scientific experiments.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Enterprise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jean-Luc Picard was in his ready-room when a message arrived from the bridge.</p><p>"Captain" said Worf, through the combadge. "We are picking up a signal from an unknown source. The computer has not yet interpreted the message, but the waveform analysis suggests it is likely to be a distress signal."</p><p>"Stand by." Picard rose from his seat, tugged the hem of his shirt down, and headed for the bridge.</p><p>Data confirmed the finding from his console at the helm. "The emitter is located near an unstable star. Preliminary readings predict the star will become a supernova in less than one hour."</p><p>Picard's brow furrowed. "Take us within sensor range and scan for life-forms, Mister Data."</p><p>"Aye, sir." Data entered the commands. "Based on the mass and energy signature of the star, we will require only four seconds to escape a hazardous dose of the nova's radiation. It is a remarkably small star."</p><p>"Very good" said Picard, keeping his eyes on the view-screen. The star in question was in visible range now. It was indeed small – only 4 km in diameter - but there was nothing in its appearance to suggest it would soon explode.</p><p>A few of the orbiting planets were in view now, although they were far too tiny to be deserving of that classification. They were no more than asteroids, in size. Barely bigger than The Enterprise.</p><p>"Captain," said Worf. "The signal we initially detected is actually composed of three unique signals, originating from four separate locations in the system."</p><p>Riker stood and joined Picard at the front of the bridge. "There are four distinct distress beacons, just in this tiny system?"</p><p>"That is correct," Worf confirmed. "They are so close in space that the computer interpreted the signals to be originating at a single point.</p><p>"The sensors have detected life signs on all five of the orbiting planetoids," said Data.</p><p>"How are those tiny rocks even inhabitable?" asked Riker, scrutinizing the view screen.</p><p>"The metals in the core of the planetoids are dense enough to produce a sizable gravitational force," Data explained. "The atmosphere is breathable in only some areas of the surfaces, due to the vegetation on the surface."</p><p>Picard turned back to face Troi. "Counselor, can you sense the inhabitants?"</p><p>"There is intelligent life, but they do not seem to be in distress."</p><p>"Then why did they set up distress beacons?" asked Riker. "Don't they know about the supernova? "</p><p>"I don't think so," said Troi, her brow creased with concern.</p><p>"Open hailing frequencies," said Picard, with mounting urgency. "And try to establish comms."</p><p>The console chirped as Worf input the commands. "No response, Sir."</p><p>Picard tapped his combadge. "Chief O'Brien, is there any interference in this system that would prohibit safe transporter travel?"</p><p>The Chief's voice came back after a brief pause. "No, sir. But I can't target any specific lifeforms without a signal to fix on."</p><p>"Mister Data, do you have a more precise estimate of our time remaining to the supernova?"</p><p>"We have at least twenty-five minutes," said the android.</p><p>Not much time to attempt a first contact and a rescue, all at once, but the alternative was certain death. Anything the Enterprise could do to help would be better than doing nothing.</p><p>"We're lucky those planetoids are so small," said Picard, more to himself than to anyone in particular. "It will make the life-forms easier to find, but we will still need to send multiple away-teams to cover all five in time."</p><p>"Mister Data, can the computer generate a map of the solar system?"</p><p>With a few taps on his console, Data brought a diagram onto the view screen, showing the sun at the centre, and the five orbiting bodies. Ordinarily, the planetoids would be named according to the name of the star and their distance from it, but this star had no name, only a ten-digit designation. For lack of a better naming convention, Picard named them "Sol-1", the closest to the star, to "Sol-5", the furthest away.</p><p>He surveyed the crew on the bridge, as they looked back at him expectantly.</p><p>"Counselor, you will beam down to the most populous planetoid, Sol-2. Try to warn the inhabitants about the supernova and invite them onto The Enterprise. Equip breathing apparatus and report to Transporter Room 3 immediately. As soon as you find out anything, report it directly to me."</p><p>"Understood." Troi departed the bridge in long, measured strides.</p><p>"Bridge to engineering," said Picard, addressing the comms system. "Mister La Forge, please report to the bridge."</p><p>"Mister Worf." He turned to the Klingon Lieutenant while he waited for Geordi. "Take a powered suit and beam down to Sol-5. The gravity is low there, but there's only one inhabitant to find, not on the surface of the body, but inside the centre. Any sign of trouble and you are to return immediately."</p><p>"Mister Data, the gravity on Sol-4 is high and the atmosphere is turbulent, but I expect you can manage it. Your orders are the same as Mister Worf's."</p><p>"Aye, sir." Data left the bridge just as Geordi was arriving. They nodded to each other as they passed outside the turbo-lift.</p><p>Picard addressed the chief engineer. "Mister La Forge, I'll keep this brief because time is short. We are in orbit around a star that is about to go supernova in twenty minutes. There is a single inhabitant on the first planetoid, and a distress beacon." He indicated the binary body on the diagram. "I want you to equip a powered suit, beam down to the surface, find the lifeform, and try to convince them to beam aboard. Any sign of trouble and you are to return immediately."</p><p>"Yes, Captain." Geordi nodded and stepped back into the turbo-lift.</p><p>"That leaves Sol-3 for me," said Riker with a dangerous smile.</p><p>"Captain," said Wesley Crusher, standing up from his seat at the console. "I'd like to volunteer for the away team."</p><p>Picard contained his irritation. He did not want to be having this discussion while time was ticking down. "Doctor Crusher won't thank me if her son gets stranded down there and incinerated by a supernova."</p><p>"I'll be in transporter range the whole time. You can beam be back aboard at a second's notice." The boy's face shone with sincere ardour.</p><p>Picard would not have sent his crew down to the doomed system if there was a risk of leaving them there. But Wesley was another matter...</p><p>"We don't know what other dangers are down there," warned Picard.</p><p>"Then you don't know when you might need an extra pair of hands."</p><p>"Very well," he conceded. "Beam down to Sol-3 with Commander Riker. You'll both need powered suits since the surface integrity is low," said Picard. "And stay out of trouble."</p><p>With the away teams all deployed, the bridge was almost empty. Picard summoned a few ensigns from around the Enterprise to re-populate the bridge. It would only be twenty minutes, at most, until his crew returned, but he knew from experience that a lot could happen in that time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Timber Hearth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Troi beams down to Timber Hearth to warn the villagers about the supernova.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 22 minutes  </p><p>Troi did not know what to expect when she materialised on the alien planet, but she was certainly not expecting to find an amphibious blue person roasting a marshmallow over a campfire, at the base of a canyon. There were crickets chirping all around to accompany the gentle crackle of the flames. For a planet about to be destroyed, it was very peaceful. </p><p>“Hello,” said Troi. “Don’t be alarmed. I will not hurt you.” </p><p>The alien blinked their four eyes at her. “Are you an alien?” </p><p>It didn’t take an empath to see that they weren’t alarmed. They didn’t even stand up. </p><p>“Yes, my name is Deanna Troi, of the Federation Starship Enterprise.” </p><p>“My name is Slate, of the Outer Wilds Ventures,” said Slate. </p><p>“Do you know your sun is going to become a supernova?” </p><p>“Oh yeah, the observatory has an exhibit about that. If you’re interested, I can introduce you to Hornfels. He knows more about astrophysics than anyone.” </p><p>“That sounds like a good idea. It is very urgent if you would please hurry.” </p><p>“That’s alright. I know a short-cut.” </p><p>Slate bit the entire marshmallow off their stick and dusted themselves off. While they led Troi up the steep winding path through the village, she marvelled at the log cabins and antiquated lanterns dotted along the dirt tracks and wooden bridges. One house even had a waterwheel.  It was impossible that such a civilisation could be warp capable.  </p><p>“Slate, do you know anything about the distress signal being broadcast from this planet?” </p><p>“There’s no distress on Timber Hearth, that’s for sure. Unless Porphy’s run out of sap wine.” </p><p>That only raised more questions, but Troi didn’t have time to ask anything else. </p><p>“This is the observatory,” said Slate as they approached a rickety wooden structure. “And this is Hornfels.” </p><p>Hornfels was just as blasé about seeing Troi as Slate had been. The only sense Troi got from them was curiosity. </p><p>“Wow, an alien.” Hornfels cocked their head and smiled. “Amazing.” </p><p>“This is Deanna Troi of the Federation Starship Enterprise,” said Slate.  “They want to talk about the sun.” </p><p>“Would you like to see the exhibit?” asked Hornfels. </p><p>“I don’t think that’s necessary, thank you,” said Troi. “I’d like to evacuate your planet to protect you from the supernova.” </p><p>“Gosh,” said Hornfels. “That sounds serious.” </p><p>“Didn’t you know about the supernova?” Troi looked between Slate and Hornfels in confusion. </p><p>“Yes,” said Hornfels. “One day, when the sun has reached the end of its natural life, it will collapse into a supernova, then explode.” </p><p>“Not one day,” said Troi. “Today! In eighteen minutes!” </p><p>That did the trick. Finally, the Hearthians understood the situation they were facing and got to work informing the rest of the village. </p><p>Troi tapped her combadge. “Captain, do you read?” </p><p>“Loud and clear, counselor,” came Picard’s voice. </p><p>“I’ve successfully made contact with the inhabitants. They had no idea about the supernova but now that they understand, they’re preparing to evacuate.” </p><p>“Very good. I’m patching you through to the rest of the away teams so you can tell us all what else you discovered about the inhabitants.”  </p><p>Troi listed off as much as she could remember. “They call themselves Hearthians. Their space-program is called the Outer Wilds Ventures, and four of their astronauts are currently exploring the solar-system. They know nothing about the distress beacons. Their language has no sexual categories. They seem to have a very trusting, optimistic nature and they drink something called sap-wine.” </p><p>It was not the Captain who responded, but Will. </p><p>“Counselor,” he said. “Did the Hearthians say anything about the Nomai?” </p><p>Troi cast her mind back. “I don’t think so. What is it?” </p><p>“It’s hard to explain,” said Riker. “I’ll tell you later.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading.<br/>Comments are always greatly appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Brittle Hollow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Commander Riker and Ensign Crusher investigate the surface of Brittle Hollow.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 18 minutes </p>
<p>Wesley heard Deanna’s transmission too. He and Riker were standing in front of the distress beacon, basking in the bright purple glow that had led them there. A thick cable connected the beacon to the white and gold vessel embedded in the planet’s surface not far away. </p>
<p>Wesley looked up at the vessel, then back at Riker. </p>
<p>“If the inhabitants of this solar system are all Hearthian, what happened to the Nomai who set up this beacon?” </p>
<p>“I don’t know, but they’re not here now.” Riker’s tricorder picked up no life-signs from the vessel. “This writing will tell us more once the computer has finished translating it,” he said, indicating the spirals of purple runes on the rockface. “In the meantime, we need to get on finding that Hearthian astronaut and it’s not safe up here on the surface.” </p>
<p>Wesley nodded. Right on cue, the ground beneath their feet shuddered with the impact of another meteor striking the planetoid. </p>
<p>The path down was hazardous, to say the least. Despite their technological abilities, the Nomai had built only a crude series of platforms to descend the face of the crevice, and many of the planks had crumbled away already. </p>
<p>Riker eyed the way forward dubiously. </p>
<p>“There’s no need to risk both our lives braving this death-trap. You should beam back the Enterprise and tell the others about what we found.” </p>
<p>“What’s the risk? We're both in powered suits. If we lose our footing, we can just use the thrusters to break our fall.” </p>
<p>It was hard arguing with the ensign. He was too smart. </p>
<p>“Alright, but don’t rely on that to save you. The thrusters are weak, and the fuel supply is limited,” said Riker. </p>
<p>He tested his weight on the first platform. It felt surprisingly firm, so he walked to the end of it. </p>
<p>“Wait until I’m only the next platform to step onto this one, alright?” </p>
<p>“Aye, sir,” said Wesley. He waited dutifully. </p>
<p>They made their way down like that until Riker found a Nomai spiral on the rockface. The computer was still working to translate the language, but it had made some progress.  </p>
<p>
  <i>“..... caution. A …......... below. You must not slip.” <i></i></i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Riker grunted to himself. “No kidding.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“What does it say?” asked Wesley. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“It says ‘be careful.’” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Riker holstered his tricorder and jumped down to the next platform. Wesley followed. The gap after that was wide, and Riker had to use his thrusters to cover the distance, landing heavily on the planks with the soles of his boots. It was not difficult, and he had no doubt that Wesley would manage it easily, but as he launched himself off the platform he felt the surface under his feet give way slightly. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He was already committed to the jump and had to wait until he’d landed to warn Wesley. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Wait!” he shouted, but it was too late. The ensign was already sailing through the air towards the structurally compromised platform. Riker could only watch as Wesley collided with the planks, causing the supports to crack under his weight. Instinct kicked in and the boy started flail his arms in search of a handhold when what he needed to do was engage his thrusters. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>When Wesley was in freefall, he finally remembered to use his thrusters, but all they could do was slow his fall. Soon he was hidden from view by the crevices in the rock, but Riker could still hear him screaming. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Riker slapped his combadge. “Enterprise, beam Crusher up, now!” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He didn’t wait for a response but charged ahead, crashing from platform to platform using his thrusters. As he made his way down, the crevice did not become narrower, but opened up. The entire planet was hollow, and at the centre of it was a black hole. Riker caught sight of it just in time to see Ensign Crusher falling into its event horizon, still screaming. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Wesley!” He stared into the black hole, waiting for the blue glimmer of the transporter beam, but all he could see was black empty space.</i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope everyone reading this has played Outer Wilds or it's going to be very confusing.<br/>Comments always appreciated.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Dark Bramble</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Worf finds trouble in the Dark Bramble.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 16 minutes</p><p>Worf looked back down at the entrance to the knot of thorny branches, and checked his tricorder. There was no mistaking the signal coming out of the fog: it was a life-form of the intelligent species Troi called ‘Hearthian’, deep in amongst the giant fish he had just encountered.</p><p>His phaser had done no apparent damage to the creatures that had attacked him. He was lucky to still be alive.</p><p>
Just as he was re-assessing his approach, Troi’s voice came through the comms in his helmet.</p><p>“Worf, did you enter the Dark Bramble?”</p><p>“Yes.” It was the first time he had heard of the name but it was an apt description.</p><p>“Did you encounter the angler fish?”</p><p>“I did.”</p><p>“Thank goodness, you survived. Sorry I couldn’t warn you sooner.”</p><p>“Do they have a weakness?”</p><p>“Not one the Hearthians know about. The only person who ever went in there is Feldspar, and they never came back.”</p><p>“I am detecting his life signs coming from within, so he survived somehow. He must be a great warrior to have bested the fish.”</p><p>“Actually, no.” Troi contradicted him gently. “The Hearthians don’t engage in war. They don’t even have weapons.”</p><p>Worf frowned.</p><p>“There is another difficulty,” he said. “The space in there is... strange.”</p><p>“How do you mean?”</p><p>“There is more capacity inside the bramble than its outer volume would allow for.”</p><p>“It’s bigger on the inside?”</p><p>“Yes. But not just that.” Worf searched for the words to describe the seeds he had flown through. “... It is hard to explain.”</p><p>“Sorry, the Hearthians don’t know anything about that.”<br/>
</p><p>“If Feldspar managed to overcome the spatial anomalies and the angler fish the first time they tried, I will too.”</p><p>Worf holstered his tricorder and braced himself for re-entry. He had one advantage over Feldspar: he had a signal to follow.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>More chapters coming very soon.<br/>All comments are greatly appreciated.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Ember Twin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geordi makes contact with a Hearthian astronomer and warns them about the supernova.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time Remaining: 22 minutes </p><p>Geordi was welcomed onto the barren surface of Sol-1 by the distant sound of drumming and rhythmic rattling. It was night, and the sky was full of stars. He looked across the rust-coloured rock formation he was standing on, up to a narrow plateau above him, dotted with trees. A thin trail of smoke rose from its centre. Geordi judged the height to be well in range of his thrusters and wasted no time making an attempt.  </p><p>The percussion stopped abruptly as Geordi landed stumbling onto the plateau. A figure wearing an antiquated space suit was regarding him from beside of a campfire. Or they might have been. The enormous golden dome of the helmet made it difficult to tell for sure. </p><p>“Hello,” said the space suit. </p><p>“Hi!” Geordi stood up straight and tried to look professional. “I’m Geordi La Forge, of the Federation Starship Enterprise.” </p><p>“I’m Chert, of Timber Hearth,” said Chert. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Geordi La Forge.” </p><p>With the introductions out of the way much quicker than expected, Geordi had no choice but to broach the more difficult subject. </p><p>“Do you know your sun is about to go supernova?” he asked. </p><p>“My measurements did not predict it.” Chert put down his drum and started leafing through some paper on the ground. “Are you certain?” </p><p>“I’m afraid so. We have sensors on our ship that can detect changes in the energy patterns of stars. The predictions have been proven to be accurate in the past.” </p><p>“Did I really miscalculate such an important matter?” </p><p>Geordi couldn’t read Chert’s reaction through their helmet, but he could infer their state of mind from their frantic movements. </p><p>“It’s alright,” he said. “We’re here to invite you to come aboard our ship, where we can take you to safe distance away and find you somewhere new to live.” </p><p>Chert ceased their scrambling and looked back up at Geordi. “How long do we have?” </p><p>“About twenty minutes before we need to leave,” said Geordi. “My crewmates are finding the rest of your kind as we speak, to make the same offer.” </p><p>“That is kind of you,” said Chert. “May I have a minute to collect my notes and belongings?” They indicated the items strewn across the plateau. </p><p>“Of course, but it would be helpful for us if you could answer a few questions while you’re at it.” </p><p>“I’ll do my best.” </p><p>“Thank you,” said Geordi. “Can you tell me about the distress beacons? Why were they set up if you didn’t know about the supernova?” </p><p>“What is a distress beacon?” asked Chert, as they stuffed a fuel canister into a bulging rucksack. </p><p>“It’s a call for help that can be heard over very long distances. There’s one on this planetoid, almost exactly on the opposite side to where we’re standing, and also on three others in this solar system.” </p><p>“Ah!” Chert brightened a little. “That must be the Nomai crash site. I had no idea the Nomai had a way to call for help, but we understand so little about their technology.” </p><p>This situation was getting more confusing by the second. Geordi did not know what to ask first. </p><p>“Sorry, who are the Nomai?” </p><p>“An ancient species who inhabited this system long before the Hearthians. If you’d like to know about them you had better ask Riebeck. They’re the archaeologist.” </p><p>“You mean ‘Hearthian’ as in ‘Timber Hearth’, your home planet?” </p><p>“Yes. I am Hearthian.”  </p><p>“And Hearthians don’t have inter-stellar travel?” </p><p>“No, our space program, The Outer Wilds Ventures, has only sent astronauts to explore our solar system so far.” </p><p>“Have any Hearthians ever encountered another intelligent species before?” </p><p>“As far as I am aware, you are the first aliens to reach us.” Chert stood up, hefted the huge bulk of their rucksack onto one shoulder, and tucked their drum under one arm. “I am ready to board your vessel.” </p><p>There would be trouble when the Captain found out they were meddling with a pre-warp species, in defiance of the prime directive, but there was no helping it now. </p><p>“Alright,” Geordi clapped his gloves together. “Now all you have to do is stand still and you’ll be aboard the Enterprise in no time. When you arrive, you’ll meet Chief O’Brian. He’ll take care of you until I get back.” </p><p>“You’re staying here?” asked Chert. </p><p>“I’m going to investigate that Nomai crash site, but I won’t be long.” Geordi caught a glimpse of the enormous orange sun rising over the horizon and laughed to himself. “Well, obviously.” </p><p>Just as Chert was disappearing in a waterfall of blue light, Troi’s voice came through Geordi’s helmet, sharing the information she had found out about the Hearthians that perfectly matched what he had found out from Chert – except for the bit about sap-wine, which was new to him. </p><p>He tapped his combadge. “Captain, one of the Hearthian astronauts has just beamed aboard. Their name is Chert. With your permission, I’d like to stay to investigate this planetoid before it is destroyed. I understand that there is a crash site on the south pole from an ancient civilisation, but the Hearthians didn't understand what they were looking at when they found it.” </p><p>Geordi knew the captain would hate the idea of archaeological artifacts being destroyed forever, before they were ever discovered. </p><p>“Very well,” said Picard. “Chief O’Brian will beam you aboard before the sun starts to explode, but I’d like you back long before then.” </p><p>Geordi’s tricorder reported only seventeen minutes remaining. Already, he was cutting it fine. </p><p>“Aye, sir. La Forge out.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Giant's Deep</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Data talks to Gabbro, and not for the first time</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 22 minutes
</p>
<p>Data materialised on the sandy beach of an island. The tumultuous sea that covered the surface of the planet was lapping at the shore by his feet. Over the howl of the wind and the crash of the waves, he could hear a sedate melody played on a wind instrument not far away. His tricorder confirmed the source of the sound to be the lifeform he was seeking.</p>
<p>
He crossed the island, walking through the natural tunnel of eroded stone, and found a hammock tied between two trees, swinging gently. All around, there were bottles, cans, and boxes littered in the sand.</p><p>The person in the hammock took the pipe away from their helmet’s mouthpiece and rested it on their chest, but they did not sit up.</p><p>“Hey, Data. Always a pleasure.”</p><p>Data raised his eyebrows.</p><p>“Hello. I believe we have not met before.”</p><p>“We have, but you never remember it. Don’t worry, I don’t take it personally. I think time is finicky around here. The name’s Gabbro.”</p><p>“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gabbro,” said Data. “The star at the centre of your solar system will become a supernova - ”</p><p>“In twenty-two minutes,” Gabbro interrupted gently. “I know. You told me.”</p><p>Data took out his tricorder to scan for temporal anomalies.</p><p>“You won’t find any temporal distortions or chroniton particles, but thanks for checking, all the same.”</p><p>Gabbro was right; there was nothing.</p><p>“Now hold on,” they warned, and brought the pipe back up to their helmet.</p><p>While the pipe let out a long note, it was drowned out by the roar of an approaching cyclone. Data wrapped him arms around the tree at Gabbro’s feet just as the ground started to tremor and he was pelted with seawater whipped up by the wind.</p><p>The cyclone lifted the whole island out of the water and flung it up into sky, through the layer of cloud containing the atmosphere, and out into space. There, the island, and everything on it, reached the apex of its short flight and became weightless. All the items strewn around the hammock lifted off from the ground and Data realised that the repeated launches were probably the initial cause of the camp’s disarray. Gabbro drifted above their hammock, still playing their pipe in a reclined position.</p><p>Data looked down, over the edge of the island, at the planet they had just left. The swirling clouds looked much the same from above as they did from below. Behind the stormy planetoid, he could see an object in orbit. It was not a moon or any kind of naturally occurring object, but a mechanical construction of some sort.</p><p>
Then the planetoid came back up to meet the island, and they slipped back through the clouds, into the turbulent atmosphere. The island struck the water and Gabbro was pushed back into their hammock before being submerged in the sea briefly.</p><p>Finally, the island bobbed back up the surface and was at rest once more.</p><p>Gabbro paused his melody to speak again to Data.</p><p>“I don’t mean to be rude - I enjoy our little chats – but I’d rather not tread over the same ground again. I won’t return to the Enterprise with you but thanks all the same.”</p><p>“Is it your wish to die here?” Data asked.</p><p>“I don’t want to die, but I’m happy here. I tried your Enterprise once and it was too hectic for me. Everyone asking questions and rushing around.”</p><p>“That is your choice to make.”</p><p>“Thanks for understanding. If you’re still interested in finding the probe tracking module, I can save you some time. Your friend Riker said something a backwards cyclone last time he called you. He was very excited to tell you about it and you went off to find it in a hurry.”</p><p>Data was about to tell Gabbro that he had no interest in finding a probe tracking module, when he received a transmission from Counselor Troi about her findings regarding Hearthians.</p><p>When she was finished, Data tapped his combadge.</p><p>"Captain," he said. "The Hearthian here, Gabbro, does not wish to be rescued. I would like permission to stay here for a few minutes to research a temporal anomaly on this planetoid."</p><p>"There's a lot of that going around at the moment," said Picard. "Very well. Stay in touch with the rest of the away team and share whatever you discover. If you don't return within the next eighteen minutes, you'll be beamed aboard, but I'd rather it didn't come to that."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I never noticed, until I did my research for this chapter, that Gabbro's camp is a mess, probably because the cyclone keeps throwing their belongings around.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Subterranean Escape Route</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geordi investigates a Nomai escape pod and follows their messages into the cave system below.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 16 minutes </p>
<p>The crash site was not hard to find. The distress beacon projected a column of bright purple light into the sky which could be seen almost about a third of way round the planetoid’s surface in every direction. There was an open doorway into the pod well within jumping height, and Geordi aimed for it. He was getting used to manoeuvring in the planetoid’s low gravity and thin atmosphere, and he landed in the narrow hallway on his first try. </p>
<p>Just inside the pod was a device lying on the floor, off to one side, as if discarded. A wheel of glowing runes rotated about the centre of the device, like a miniature version of the spinning wheel he’d seen in a story book as a child. </p>
<p>The tricorder was able to translate the language, to his surprise. Someone else in the away team must have been busy scanning other Nomai text. The device held the record of a conversation between the passengers of the escape pod, immediately after their crash-landing. Further down the maze of corridors he found the pod’s computer interface, still displaying the pod’s history in a series of reports, starting with the departure from the mothership, then the crash, then the sensor readings of the planetoid’s surface. The solar panels outside the pod must have been powering the systems for who-knows-how-many years. </p>
<p>Finally, a second spinning wheel device at the base of the pod told of the Nomai’s plan to seek shelter in the underground cave system, where the temperature was more manageable. The message also warned of sand filling the caves gradually, leaving Geordi to wonder if the Nomai might have been suffocated or crushed by the sand trapping them underground. He shuddered. </p>
<p>Looking down into the cave beneath the pod, he could see the dim glow of more Nomai text. His curiosity would not let him leave without finding out the fate of the Nomai survivors, but he would need to be careful to avoid the sand trap himself. </p>
<p>He jumped down into the cool air below and broke his fall with a quick blast from his thrusters. </p>
<p>He tapped his combadge. “La Forge to transporter room. I’m underground. How’s my signal looking, Chief?” </p>
<p>“Your signal’s strong and clear, Geordi,” O’Brian’s voice came back. “Do you want to beam up?” </p>
<p>“Not yet. I’ll keep you posted.” </p>
<p>“Aye, sir.” </p>
<p> Geordi was relieved to find the Nomai’s messages dotted along the route down through the caves. It was just as well they left instructions for each other to follow, or he would have got hopelessly lost. </p>
<p>Finally, he reached a dead-end. It was a huge stone wall of Nomai construction. There was obviously a way forward this way once, because he had just come down a staircase cut into the rock, leading right up to it. The Nomai must have blocked the tunnel intentionally, to stop the sand flowing in. Already, the column of falling sand in the corner of the chamber was forming a pile, encroaching gradually towards the spot where Geordi stood. </p>
<p>Reminded of the time pressure exerted by both the rising sand and the exploding sun, he decided to try blasting through the wall. Just as he raised his phaser, an orb the size of a volleyball, embedded in the wall, started to glow and twitch slightly. He lowered his phaser, and the orb moved again, dithering back and forth inside its rectangular slot briefly before lying still and going dark. </p>
<p>He tried raising his hand, and the glow came back. Then he waved his arm in a wide arc. The orb rolled faster, this time reaching the top of the slot, then around a corner to the far end of the slot. The entire slab started to slide away, layer by layer, opening the path forward for him. </p>
<p>A low whistle passed between his lips and echoed around the huge cavern he had just stepped into.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. White Hole Station</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wesley falls through a white hole</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 13 minutes </p>
<p>Wesley closed his eyes and prayed for a painless death. When he opened them again, the black hole was gone. Everything was gone. He stopped screaming. </p>
<p>He was floating in space, looking at the sun. It wasn’t bright like Earth’s sun, it burned like a dying ember; dim enough so it wasn’t painful to look at. </p>
<p>“Wesley!” Riker yelled through the helmet comms. </p>
<p>“I’m alright!” Wesley assured him. </p>
<p>Riker made a sound between a choke and a laugh. “Where are you?” </p>
<p>“I don’t know.” </p>
<p>O’Brien chose that moment to interrupt. “We lost your signal just when Commander Riker requested a transport. I’ve found you again now, all the way on the opposite side of the star.” </p>
<p>Wesley looked around him while the Chief was talking and saw the shining white sphere that had ejected him. </p>
<p>“A white hole!” he gasped. “It must be connected to that black hole I fell into.” </p>
<p>“Do you still want to return to The Enterprise?” asked O’Brien. </p>
<p>“Not yet,” said Wesley. He was looking at another object orbiting nearby.  It wasn’t just space debris, as he had first thought. Not that he was closer to it, he could see it was a structure, similar in style to the Nomai escape pod. “I’ve found something.” </p>
<p>“Nothing you find is going to matter when this whole system is destroyed,” said Riker. </p>
<p>“But that’s why I want to investigate it,” said Wesley. “When the sun goes nova, the knowledge will be gone forever unless someone makes a record of it.” </p>
<p>“Knock yourself out,” said O’Brien with a chuckle. “But I’m on strict orders from the Captain to beam you all back up in twelve minutes and not a second later. Just don’t fly into the sun and you’ll be fine.” </p>
<p>Wesley was already boosting towards the object, which he now recognised as a space station of some kind. The first time he tried to land on it, he bounced right off with a painful thump and started floating away, head-over-heels. That’s when he caught sight of an opening in the hull. It was a dome with a hexagonal aperture, big enough for a humanoid to fit in easily. He managed to manoeuvre into it, but only after he stopped rushing and remembered his zero-G training. </p>
<p>Inside, there was only a small chamber, with a dead-end. There was no door, or mechanism of any kind. Just a crystal sphere in rectangular slot, running along three sides of a hexagon on the far wall. It looked similar to the he had seen on the Nomai vessel. </p>
<p>He tapped his combadge. “Crusher to away team. Have any of you encountered a crystal sphere, about the size of an orange?” </p>
<p>“I have,” Geordi’s voice came back. “Try waving your hand in front of it. Worked for me.” </p>
<p>Wesley raised his hand gently and the ball moved with it. It started to glow as it rolled along the slot. He guided it around the hexagon, trying not to hurry despite his excitement. When it reached the end, the whole chamber rotated around him, closing off the opening where we had entered and revealing a new path forward, into the space station. </p>
<p>“It worked!” </p>
<p>“You found a Nomai escape pod, too?” said Geordi. </p>
<p>“I don’t think it’s an escape pod,” said Wesley, as he drifted into the dark chamber. The softly glowing tiles on one of the walls attracted his body as if he were falling. He landed havily in a heap. </p>
<p>“Either way,” said Geordi. “Scan every Nomai spiral you can find and tell me what it says. Their technology is like nothing I’ve ever seen. I can't figure it out.” </p>
<p>Wesley sat up on the surface that was now the floor and looked around. There were matching tiles on the ceiling that gave him the idea that he might be able to walk around up there, too. </p>
<p>“Have you seen this artificial gravity? The wall is covered in purple lines in a hexagon pattern, and I can walk around on it like it’s a normal floor.” </p>
<p>“Good to know,” said Geordi. “What else?” </p>
<p>Wesley started scanning the coiling runes left by the Nomai. “This station was built to get people back home if they fell through the black hole. It’s a warp tower to Brittle Hollow.” </p>
<p>“What’s Brittle Hollow?” </p>
<p>“I guess that’s what they called Sol-4,” Welsey chuckled. “Couldn’t ask for a better name, really.” </p>
<p>Troi’s voice piped up. “That’s right. And the planet I'm on, Sol-2, is Timber Hearth.” </p>
<p> “Is the whole away team eavesdropping on this conversation?” Geordi asked, with just a hint of defensiveness. </p>
<p>“Yes.” “Yes.” “Yep,” said Worf, Data, and Riker, all at once. </p>
<p>Troi continued. “I’m looking at the Hearthian map now.  Sol-1 is The Hourglass Twins: Ember and Ash. Sol-3 is Giant’s Deep...” </p>
<p>Meanwhile, Wesley was still reading. </p>
<p>“This is just one of the warp towers that the Nomai built,” he said. “It says here, they could go between other the astral bodies in the system, too. All you need to do is stand on the platform and wait for the destination to align with your tower... But you can’t just go anywhere. Each tower only has one destination.” </p>
<p>He looked around the room, wondering where the platform was. “Do you think the warp towers could still work? What do the platforms even look like?” </p>
<p>“If the towers rely on orbital alignment with their destination. The platforms must be on the equator of the planetoids,” Data pointed out.  </p>
<p>“The warp platforms look like a big square window with a tiny black hole embedded in the centre, and yes, they still work,” Geordi said with a laugh. “I just went through one.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Hanging City</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Riker finds the Riebeck camping out under the crust of Brittle Hollow</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 12 minutes </p>
<p>This planet was once home to a technologically advanced civilisation. That much was obvious. Troi had said that the Hearthians didn’t understand Nomai technology, so the glowing tractor-beams crossing the enormous cavern must have remained operational ever since the last Nomai was here. Maybe thousands of years. It was not a comforting thought to Riker, as he floated across to the distant ledge, as the black hole waited far below. He knew the it wouldn’t kill him to fall in, only spit him out on the other side of the solar system, as it had to Wesley, but still, he tried to avoid looking down. </p>
<p>When he finally reached the other side and fell through the stone hoop, Riker put away his tricorder. He didn’t need it now that he could hear a stringed instrument plucking out a simple melody, leading him to the Hearthian astronaut. He rounded a stalactite and found a campfire burning merrily in the centre of a flat promontory. The music stopped. </p>
<p>“Hello,” said the Hearthian. </p>
<p>“Hello,” said Riker. “I’m Commander William Riker, of the Federation Starship Enterprise.” </p>
<p>“I’m Riebeck, of Timber Hearth,” said Riebeck. Their expression was unreadable through the helmet of their spacesuit, but they seemed unphased. </p>
<p>“I hate to be the one to tell you, but your sun is about to explode and destroy this planetoid, along with everything else in this solar system.” </p>
<p>“Oh dear,” said Riebeck. They started to look around the cavern, as if the supernova might creep up on them. “That is very bad news. <sub>Very bad</sub>...”  </p>
<p>“I’ve been sent here to invite your aboard our ship, where we can take you to safety.” </p>
<p>“Oh, thank you.” </p>
<p>“Don’t mention it,” said Riker. He looked at the reports coming through his tricorder. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t find you sooner. My crewmates have already made the same offer to the Hearthians on Timber Hearth, and a few of them are already on the enterprise. ” </p>
<p>“Don’t forget about Esker!” Riebeck interrupted. “They’re on the Attlerock, in orbit around Timber Hearth.” </p>
<p>“Don’t worry, we’ll get them.” He turned away slightly and tapped his combadge. “Riker to Troi, I’ve been informed that there’s a Hearthian on the moon of Timber Hearth. Will you have time to pick them up?” </p>
<p>“Yes, I think so,” said Troi. “Which moon is it?” </p>
<p>“Attlerock,” said Riker.</p>
<p>"Understood. I'll beam up there now while the last of the Hearthians make their preparation."</p>
<p>“Great news. Riker out.” </p>
<p>“Uh... do I have time to collect my notes?” asked Riebeck. </p>
<p>Riker looked around the camp. There wasn’t much there, and it was all close by. “Go ahead.” </p>
<p>“Oh, thank you,” Riebeck started to dither over their scattered belongings. “If this settlement is destroyed, all the Nomai history will be forgotten, except what I’ve recorded here. I should have done more research, but it’s so <sub>dangerous</sub> here...” </p>
<p>Riker could sympathise with the Hearthian’s regrets. The architecture and technology exhibited on this colony was astounding, and soon it would all be gone. </p>
<p>“Was everything here built by the Nomai who crashed in that escape pod?” </p>
<p>“They had decedents, too. The most advanced structure seems to be The Hanging City, which they probably built to accommodate their um... expanding population. But I was the first visitor to Brittle Hollow for many thousands of years, and this is how I found it.” </p>
<p>“Amazing.” Riker looked around at all the structures hanging from the planetoid’s crust. “If you’re ready, I’ll beam you aboard The Enterprise, our ship.” </p>
<p>“Wow! Gosh. I’m ready but, uh... will your beam, um.. <sub>hurt me</sub>?” </p>
<p>Riker grinned. “Not at all. Just stand still and you’ll be with the other Hearthians in no time. I’m going to stay here for a few more minutes to check a few things.” </p>
<p>“Be careful! Especially of the uh... <sub>black hole</sub>.” </p>
<p>Riker decided not to tell them about the white hole station. There would be time for that later. </p>
<p>“Thank you, I will.” </p>
<p>On Riker’s command, Riebeck started to dissolve into a column of blue light. He didn’t wait around to watch. There was precious little time remaining, and a whole city to explore.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Orbital Probe Cannon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Data board's the satellite orbiting Giant's Deep</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time Remaining: 12 minutes</p>
<p>The satellite in orbit around Giant’s Deep was called the Orbital Probe Cannon, according to the Nomai text Data found on a wall.</p>
<p>Without a powered suit, reaching it had not been simple. He had utilised a cyclone to launch him into orbit, then corrected his velocity by taking off one of his shoes and throwing it in the direction opposite to his desired vector of travel. Even with his computation abilities and the precise motor control of his movements, he still missed the largest fragment of the satellite by a few degrees and needed to correct his trajectory with his one remaining shoe.</p>
<p>After all that, he could find no evidence to support the hypothesis that the technology on the satellite could cause the non-linear experiences of time that Gabbro had reported.</p>
<p>Its sole purpose was to fire a probe out into space, in a random direction, only once. The energy used to launch the probe was too much for the cannon to handle by design, apparently, hence its fragmented state.</p>
<p>Strangest of all, the probe was launched only ten minutes ago, many thousands of years after the Nomai who built the cannon had died, and only minutes before the entire solar system would be destroyed. It was unlikely to be a coincidence.</p>
<p>Data tapped his combadge. “Commander Data to away team. I have reason to believe the Nomai may have caused the star to go prematurely supernova.”</p>
<p>Geordi responded first. “They <i>were</i> doing experiments on the sun as a potential energy source, and their logs indicated the research was very dangerous for all life of the solar system. They didn’t need the energy to survive, though. Of all things, get wanted to power their time travel technology.”</p>
<p>Riker baulked. “The Nomai could travel back in time?”</p>
<p>“Only by fractions of a second,” said Geordi. “But they were aiming for 22 minutes. The amount of energy required far exceeded what they were capable of producing, hence the sun experiments.”</p>
<p>“Perhaps the purpose of the probe was to research the sun, then,” Riker suggested.</p>
<p>“That is not supported by cannon computer’s read-out,” said Data, checking the translation of the text. “The direction of the probe’s launch was random.”</p>
<p>“Regardless, it proves there is more going on here than we thought,” said Riker. “The Nomai technologies all over this system are not just a relics, some of it is still active. If their experiments on the sun were dangerous, they may well be the cause the supernova. That means we may still be able to stop it.”</p>
<p>“There’s a space station in a low orbit around the sun, where the Nomia did their research,” said Geordi. “And I think I might be able to get there.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Ash Twin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geordi finds a way onto the sun station.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 10 minutes</p><p>Once the sand had drained away from the ash twin, the towers along its equator were hard to miss, even from Geordi’s vantage point outside Ember Twin’s High Energy Lab. As soon as Wesley had mentioned warp towers, it had given Geordi an idea of what he might be looking at. Then it was a simple matter of making a big booster-jump across the gap between the twins, and trying not to get hurt on the landing. </p><p>Finding out which of the towers lead to the sun station would have to be a process of elimination, but there were only a few towers to choose from, exposed above the sand.</p><p>The first tower he tried lead him right back to the surface of the Ember twin, but now that the warp pad was energised, he could make the return journey right away. The tower directly across the path from the Ember Twin tower was broken and exposed to the falling sand, so Geordi skipped it. He hurried along the stone walkway, against the gentle gradient, to tower at the end.</p><p>It was taller than the first two and full of cacti, but his phaser made short work of them. Inside, the Nomai text on the walls confirmed that the tower was paired with a warp platform on the sun station. Geordi found the platform just as the window above his head was aligning with the sun.</p><p>The space around him distrorted, and a moment later he was in a new room. It was only as wide as the warp platform he had arrived on, but the ceiling was high, about 10 m above his head. One wall was glowing with purple lines and he remembered Wesley’s tip.</p><p>He jumped up and let himself drift until he reached the high ceiling. Then, he rotated his body until his feet touched the wall with the purple lines, and suddenly he was standing on firm ground, at the end of a long, narrow corridor.</p><p>“Relativity...” he muttered to himself, looking back at the warp platform he’d arrived on, now on the far wall of the corridor.</p><p>At his feet, he found a device displaying rings of Nomai writing, next to a door.</p><p>He tapped his combadge. “I’m at the sun station. Says here it hasn’t been operational for 280 thousand years,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.</p><p>“So the Nomai left this system before the Hearthians had even evolved?” asked Wesley.</p><p>No one answered him. Geordi got the sense that he wasn’t the only one who had found the Nomai’s skeletons, wiped out instantly where they stood by some kind of aggressive extinction event.</p><p>With a wave of his hand, the ball on the door rolled along its slot. The door completely detached from the wall and fell away, and Geordi was left standing on a ledge, looking down into the surface of the sun. He stumbled backwards, retreating to the safety of the hallway, then re-composed himself with a deep breath.</p><p>He could see the rest of the station on the other side of vast gap, littered with weightless debris. The thrusters on his suit would get him across the gap easily, but the proximity of the sun’s surface was alarming. What if he missed? There wasn’t anything to hold onto over there. He would bounce right off the wall and into space, or worse...</p><p>He tapped his combadge. “La Forge to Transporter Room, can you lock onto my signal?”</p><p>“Yes, sir. I’ve got you,” said Chief O’Brien.</p><p>“I’m about to attempt a jump. I’m going to count to three, then I’ll do it. If I start screaming, beam me up.”</p><p>“Aye, sir.”</p><p>“Alright, here goes nothing.” Geordi rolled his neck and his shoulders, the rubbed his gloved hands together.</p><p>“One...” He stepped up the edge and looked down at the sun.</p><p>“Two...” He looked back up, straight ahead at the sun station.</p><p>“Three!” His feet pushed off the tiles and the station came hurtling towards him. As the opening got closer and closer, Geordi could tell he wasn’t lined up with it. He slammed into the top corner and scrambled at the edge with his hands, trying to grip the smooth surface. He managed to claw his way into the opening and fell into a heap on the artificially attractive floor.</p><p>Distantly, he heard O’Brien’s voice. “Sir?”</p><p>Geordi laughed through his laboured breathing and jack-hammering heart. “I made it.”</p><p>“Glad to hear it, but I’ve got Hearthians arriving now, so don’t get into any trouble for the next few minutes.”</p><p>“You’d better be ready to beam me aboard when I’m done here, because I am not going to make that jump again.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The Phantom Moon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Picard observes a strange object orbiting the planetoids in the solar system.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 13 minutes</p><p>Picard blinked.</p><p>It was gone again. This time, he was sure he had not imagined it. The white dot orbiting Dark Bramble had disappeared, just as the one orbiting the Hourglass Twins had. Then he noticed there was a white dot orbiting Timber Hearth. Had it been there before?</p><p>The door to his ready room chirped.</p><p>“Come.”</p><p>Counselor Troi entered, followed by a Hearthian. They had four eyes, blue amphibian skin, flat nostrils and long pointed ears, and yet their expression held a very human warmth.</p><p>“This is Hornfels,” said Troi. “The astrophysicist of Timber Hearth.”</p><p>“Welcome to the Enterprise,” said Picard. “Sorry it’s not under more favourable circumstances. I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard.”</p><p>Hornfels smiled. “Thank you for your help, Captain.”</p><p>“Your solar system is extraordinary.” Picard looked back at the window, where the sun and a few of its planetoids were visible in the distance. “I was just trying to figure out that white moon of yours,” he said, tapping the window with his knuckle.</p><p>“Ah, you’ve see the phantom moon? You’re lucky.”</p><p>“Why is that lucky? If you’ll excuse my curiosity,” said Picard.</p><p>“On Timber Hearth, the moon is an infrequent visitor, but none of us have ever seen in appear or disappear. It arrives and departs without any warning and according to no schedule that we can determine. Feldspar attempted to land on it once after catching sight of it, but by the time they had climbed into their ship, it was gone.”</p><p>“Amazing...” said Troi.</p><p>“I’ve never heard of anything like it,” said Picard. Though it was rude to his guest, he could not resist looking back through the window to search for the moon again. Was it merely an optical illusion? It would have to be a very powerful illusion to be visible both from the surface of Timber Hearth, and through the window of the Enterprise. If the moon were real and solid, did every planetoid in the system have one?</p><p>Troi’s voice brought him out of his contemplation.<br/>
“Captain, shall I find quarters for Hornfels and the other Hearthians?”</p><p>Picard dragged himself away from the window to confront the more important matters at hand.</p><p>“Let’s wait until we have everyone aboard first,” he said. “If you wouldn’t mind, Hornfels, I’m sure your fellow Hearthians would appreciate seeing you waiting for them in the transporter room when they rematerialize.”</p><p>Hornfels nodded. “I don’t mind at all.”</p><p>“Thank you. I’m looking forward to learning about you and your culture when everyone is safe.” Picard gave an encouraging smile and a nod to Troi to indicate it was time to take Hornfels away.</p><p>When he was alone again, Picard turned back to the window. Now the white dot was nowhere to be seen. </p><p>If the Hearthians had never been able to study the phantom moons, the mystery of their impermanence might remain unsolved forever, once the supernova destroyed the entire system. Unless...</p><p>“Picard to away team.” The comms system chirped. “Have any of you discovered any Nomai record relating to the impermanent moons orbiting the planetoids in this system?”</p><p>Riker responded first. “I’ve read about something they called the ‘quantum moon.’ The Nomai text describes it as a single entity with six locations, but I thought it must be a mistranslation.”</p><p>“Perhaps not...”<br/>
One moon; Six locations. Was it possible? Picard tried to remember if he had seen the white dot around two planetoids at once.</p><p>“Did the Nomai record ever landing on the quantum moon?” he asked. </p><p>“Yes. Or at least they tried to,” said Riker. “It’s described as a pilgrimage. Landing on the quantum moon, then finding its Northern pole, in order to move the moon to its sixth location.”</p><p>The six possible orbits were probably around the five planetoids and the around the star itself.</p><p>‘Quantum’ was a strange word for the translator to choose. It must be in reference to the theory of superposition: a particle or system that can be in multiple states simultaneously, until an observer collapses the wave function and forces the system to adopt a single state. Such systems had been created in laboratory conditions, but never on a scale like this. Could an entire moon really be in superposition, in six different locations?</p><p>Hornfels had said that no one had ever seen it appear or disappear. That could be evidence for the observer effect. It might be possible to test it. </p><p>“Picard to ten-forward.”</p><p>“Yes, captain?” said Guinan.</p><p>“Is any part of the solar system visible through your window?”</p><p>“Yes, sir. It’s beautiful.”</p><p>Picard hesitated. Could he really ask the rest of the ship to participate in testing such a bizarre hypothesis?<br/>
He had to. It was the last chance he, or anyone else, would ever have.</p><p>“Could you darken the window for me?”</p><p>“Yes, sir... Setting the aluminium to opaque... now. ”</p><p>“Thank you. Stand by.”</p><p>He did the same to the rest of the windows on The Enterprise, except his own. He considered ordering the away team to avoid looking at the sky just so he could be sure he was the sole observer, but it would be irresponsible to interfere with their rescue mission just to satisfy his curiosity.</p><p>Outside the window, far in the distance, a flickering orange moon orbited Brittle Hollow; a stony grey moon orbited Timber Hearth, and a milky white, perfectly circular moon was orbiting  Giant’s Deep.</p><p>Picard blinked.</p><p>The quantum moon was gone.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This was so much fun to write</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Dark Bramble 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Worf takes on the angler fish</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 8 minutes</p><p>Feldspar’s signal was not easy to follow. At times it seemed to come from multiple directions at once, each one leading to a softly glowing opening in one of the bramble's branches. When Worf found a seed with an opening he could fit through, he was greeted by more branches, fog, and angler fish on the other side, and more duplicate signals to lead him astray.</p><p>Troi’s information about Feldspar had been useful. The fact that the Hearthian was unarmed when they entered Dark Bramble meant that they must have either evaded or tricked the angler fish to get past.</p><p>Through some experimentation at the opening of the bramble, Worf had learned about how the fish hunted. Like many predators, they seemed to have a movement-based vision. They would ignore anything that drifted under its own inertia, and would notice Worf immediately when he fired his thrusters.</p><p>The atmosphere was thin enough that a brief thruster burn would take him quite a distance before he finally slowed to a halt, but progress was slow.  If he did not find Feldspar soon, he would need to return back to the Enterprise without them.</p><p>He checked his tricorder. The closest of Feldspar’s signal was only a few hundred meters away now, but Worf was drifting unbearably slowly.</p><p>Patience.</p><p>He could see the glow of the opening up ahead, through the fog, drawing gradually closer. When he was close enough to see that it was actually the glowing lure of an angler fish, it was too late. He could not correct his trajectory without drawing attention to himself.</p><p>Behind the angler fish, he could see the seed emitting Feldspar’s signal. Once he was through the opening, the angler fish would no longer be able to pursue him, but his current vector was off by a few degrees. He had to correct his course soon or he would drift past the opening and get lost again.</p><p>Though his helmet, Worf could hear the rest of the away team talking about their discoveries, but they said nothing about the warped space of Dark Bramble or the angler fish.</p><p>There was no honour in retreat, and time was running out. Worf’s only option was to fire his thrusters and try to reach the seed before the angler fish reached him.The opening in the seed looked like it might be large enough to fit through, but it was hard to tell at a distance. </p><p>He offered a silent prayer to Kahless to grant him victory, or else let him die a warrior’s death, then aimed his thrusters and squeezed the firing mechanism.</p><p>His body lurched forward. The angler fish awoke with a bone-chilling hiss just as Worf flew past its enormous teeth. It opened its jaws and pursued him, ready to swallow him whole, but just as it caught up, Worf entered the seed and the fish’s teeth closed around nothing but wood.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Sun Station</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geordi discovers the truth about the sun station and things start to fall into place.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time Remaining: 7 minutes</p>
<p>Geordi stared at the sun through the enormous window. He could now confirm with his eyes what the sensors on the Enterprise had determined: the star was getting darker. It was dying.</p>
<p>He tried to make sense of what he had just read.</p>
<p>“The Nomai wanted the sun to go supernova. It was the only way they could get enough power for the Ash Twin Project – whatever that was,” he said to the rest of the team. “But they failed. This station never had the power to destabilise the sun. This star’s death is completely natural.”</p>
<p>He rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. Then he looked over his shoulder at the mural on the wall. It showed a Nomai holding a pair of scales, balancing two circular objects that Geordi didn’t recognise. After finding so many Nomai skeletons, it was interesting to see what they looked like. Three eyes, two horns, a handsome mane of fur, and a serene, knowing curve of the mouth.</p>
<p>“What were they trying to do? What was the Ash Twin Project for? What could be so important that they would destroy their own solar system for it? They were so disappointed that it didn’t work... Did they have a suicide cult?”</p>
<p>“The Nomai did have a kind of religion,” said Riker, through Geordi’s helmet. “I found their shrine, where they taught the history of their colony. The first Nomai to arrive in this system were searching for the source of a strange signal, which they determined to be older than the universe itself. They called it The Eye of the Universe. Even after they were ship-wrecked here, they kept looking for it.”</p>
<p>“Why did they want to find it?”</p>
<p>“Sheer curiosity, as far as I can tell. The Nomai’s philosophy was to explore and broaden their understanding.”</p>
<p>“Kind of like the Enterprise’s mission,” said Geordi.</p>
<p>He had developed an admiration for the Nomai as he had followed their footsteps and read their messages. They’d committed their lives to inventing novel technologies, and pursuing knowledge for its own sake, but there was a dark side to their curiosity. The original colonists had left their homes behind and given up everything to investigate an anomalous signal, endangering many lives for it, then instead of giving up they had tried to destroy their new home for the sake of their science experiment. It was pathological.</p>
<p>“Did the Nomai use a pictogram to represent The Eye?” Geordi asked, looking at the mural.</p>
<p>“Yes,” said Riker. “They drew it as a spikey circle with a hole in the middle.”</p>
<p>“That’s it!” said Geordi with a jubilant laugh.</p>
<p>The Nomai in the picture was balancing The Eye against something else – the sun!</p>
<p>“The Ash Twin Project was going to help them find The Eye, somehow!” The smile on his face slackened. “But I guess they never found it, since the sun station didn’t work.”</p>
<p>“Maybe it will work,” said Riker. “The Ash Twin Project is finally going to get the power it needs in just a few minutes.”</p>
<p>“That’s right!” Geordi was getting excited again. “If it did manage to send something back, it would have arrived already.”</p>
<p>“Indeed,” said Data. “That corresponds to the report of the probe’s launch I found on the Orbital Probe Canon. If our predictions are accurate, that was precisely twenty-two minutes before the star will become a supernova.”</p>
<p>“Oh my God...” said Riker.</p>
<p>“Yes!” said Geordi, jabbing his finger at the Nomai in the mural. “They did it! The Ash Twin Project launched the probe cannon twenty-two minutes before the sun exploded – will explode, I mean.”</p>
<p>“But what is the probe for?” asked Wesley. “Where did it go?”</p>
<p>“The control module stated that the direction of the launch was random,” Data reminded him.</p>
<p>“The Nomai fired a probe in a random direction, and hoped it would bump into The Eye?” Wesley chimed into the conversation.</p>
<p>“That is a logical conclusion of the information we have gathered, although it is unlikely the Nomai would rely on chance for a matter that important to them.”</p>
<p>“Everyone shut up for a second,” Geordi closed his eyes and tried to get his head around everything they had found out. The Ash Twin Project, the probe, The Eye, the negative time interval, and the supernova. “It’s not just the launch request that was sent back in time, the results from the probe will be sent back too!”</p>
<p>“My head hurts...” said Wesley.</p>
<p>“To be precise,” said Data. “The probe’s results have already been sent back, many times. Somehow, the Hearthian I met on Giant’s Deep is able to retain memories from the alternate timelines, and reports experiencing many iterations of the same events already.”</p>
<p>“The probe’s direction is random, but it’s different every time,” Riker mused. “And the Nomai could launch it as many times as they need to because it always resets.”</p>
<p>“So, did the probe find it yet?” asked Wesley. “The Eye of the Universe?”</p>
<p>There was silence, until Data spoke up.</p>
<p>“I believe the answer to that question is on the probe tracking module of the orbital probe cannon,” he said. “When the orbital probe cannon fired, it was torn apart by the power of the launch and the tacking module was thrown into the core of Giant’s Deep. I may be able to reach it.”</p>
<p>“Sorry, Data, we only have five minutes to escape the supernova,” Geordi warned. “We all need to beam up to the Enterprise.”</p>
<p>He knew better than anyone how precise the Enterprise’s measurements and calculations were, but five minutes seemed like a slim margin for error when his life was on the line. Outside the window, the surface of the sun was now an angry, turbulent red, and was it getting closer?</p>
<p>He tapped his badge. “La Forge to Transporter Room.”</p>
<p>“You all done down there?” asked O'Brien.</p>
<p>Geordi’s eye was caught by the mural. The Nomai’s three eyes looked back at him sagely, holding a world full of knowledge that would soon be lost forever. </p>
<p>Or would it?</p>
<p>How many times had this sun exploded already? How many times had Geordi stood on this spot, having this exact conversation? Dozens? Hundreds?</p>
<p>Would the crew of the Enterprise be stuck in this loop forever? </p>
<p>“Not quite,” said Geordi. “Can you beam me to the Ash Twin?”</p>
<p>“What do you expect to find there in only five minutes?”</p>
<p>“Maybe nothing, but if I’m really lucky, I might find a 280-thousand-year-old time machine.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. The Quantum Moon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Picard investgates the secrets of the quantum moon</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 9 minutes</p><p>The blue shimmer dissolved away, and Picard found himself standing on solid ground. He tapped his combadge.</p><p>“Thank you, Guinan. You can stop watching it now.”</p><p>“My pleasure, Captain. Moon-gazing is a lot easier than bar-tending.”</p><p>His mouth turned up at the corners briefly, but he could not allow himself to be distracted.</p><p>The moon’s surface was ethereal. The clouded atmosphere hid the sun from view, leaving the rocky surface in a perfect twilight, and making it impossible to tell which way was North. Not that it would make a difference if he did know. The narrow canyon he stood at the base of was a dead end, so there was only one direction he could walk in anyway.</p><p>Picard wasted no time in setting off along the path formed between the cliffs of jutting rocks rising up on either side. As he walked, he scanned the area with his tricorder but the readings were nonsense, fluctuating wildly second-to-second.</p><p>He looked up from the read-out and stopped in his tracks. Directly in front of him was a tall monolithic structure that had not been there a second before. He spun on the spot. Behind him, the rock formations had rearranged themselves into a dead-end where he had been walking just a few seconds ago. Was it possible? The moon wasn’t just in a state of quantum superposition itself, but everything on its surface was somehow in a perpetual state of superposition until fixed by observation.</p><p>Picard holstered his tricorder and smoothed down the front of his uniform. When he looked back, the monolith was gone, and the path forward was open again. He took a deep breath and continued forward.</p><p>The away team were talking over the combadge channel. Picard listened-in, but did not interrupt them, and tried not to dwell on the parts of the conversation he did not understand. There would be time to de-brief everyone later.</p><p>As he rounded a bend, the cliffs parted to reveal a prostrate body on the ground ahead. As he approached, he saw there was an ornate helmet on the head, and the torso and legs were covered by heavy, colourful robes.</p><p>There were three ocular apertures in the front of the helmet, Picard observed as he knelt down beside the body. This was a Nomai, then. The tricorder confirmed they were dead – killed by a burst of radiation. Picard released a sigh through his nose. The sudden extinction event described by Commander Riker must have reached here too.</p><p>When he got back to his feet, the monolith had returned, looming over him. There were glowing tiles on the wall facing him, and a crystal sphere set into a horizontal slot that reminded him of something Geordi had said earlier.</p><p>With a wide arcing wave of his hand, the orb on the wall started to glow and roll along its slot. When it reached the far end, the tiles in front of him started to slide aside with a dry grinding sound, until there was a wide doorway in front of him.</p><p>Inside, there was a dark triangular chamber, so high Picard couldn’t see the ceiling through the darkness. One wall exhibited six hexagonal tiles arranged in a semi-circular arc, each tile decorated with a pictogram. The other wall had three paintings, each accompanied with a spiral of Nomai runes that meant nothing to him, even after he translated their meaning. Opposite the doorway, where the two adjacent walls met, another, smaller orb controlled the light source.</p><p>Clearly, it was a Nomai structure, but what was its function? A shelter for pilgrims, perhaps, or a place of worship.</p><p>He looked up at the six pictograms on the wall again. There was another, smaller tile inside the semi-circle. At first glance, Picard had thought it was in the centre-top, at the 12 o’clock position, but it was in fact slightly off-centre, at 11 o’clock. That could not be an accident. It was designed that way. Nothing Picard had seen had given him the impression that Nomai architecture was asymmetrical in style, so the tile’s position was not an aesthetic choice. It was functional.</p><p>The door and the lights in the tower were still operational, even though they had not been touched for thousands of years. It was likely that the device would also still work as intended, if he could figure out how to use it.</p><p>He tried to shift the small off-centre tile, but it was fixed in place by a mechanism inside the wall. Not an input device, then. Perhaps it was an output; an indicator of something. The analogy of a clock might not have been far from the truth. The tile was lined up with one of the pictograms, like the hand of a clock face pointing to the hour. But what did it mean? </p><p>It was obvious, when he realised it. Six pictograms: six locations. Each of the large tiles showed a simplified representation of the five planetoids and the sun, with the smaller tile moving between them to indicate the location of the quantum moon. </p><p>Just as Picard was deducing the function of the Nomai tower, his ears pricked up at something Geordi was saying to the rest of the away team.</p><p>“Did the Nomai use a pictogram to represent The Eye?” asked the engineer.</p><p>“Yes,” Riker replied. “They drew it as a spikey circle with a hole in the middle.”</p><p>Picard’s mouth fell open by a fraction. The sixth tile - the sixth location – was not the sun, but the Eye of the Universe.</p><p>He checked his tricorder. There were only six minutes remaining. Could he really decipher the quantum moon’s secrets and take it to its sixth location in that time? What would he find there if he did?</p><p>He whipped around to look at the doorway as he considered leaving. The Eye of the Universe was likely to be out of the Enterprise’s transporter range, wherever it was, but if he could master the moon, as the Nomai had, he would be able to return easily; in the blink of an eye, literally.</p><p>That’s all it took to move the moon: a blink.</p><p>Picard raised his hand and rolled the orb above the door back across its slot. The door panels slid closed, and the last remaining slice of light narrowed down to nothing, enveloping him in perfect darkness.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Feldspar's Camp</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Worf finds the last Hearthian astronaut</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 5 minutes
</p><p>Worf floated through the fog, hearing the warbling tune of a musical instrument getting louder as he approached the glowing lure of an angler fish. The only signs of life registering on his tricorder were Feldspar’s, and he soon saw why.</p><p>The lure belonged to a fish skeleton. In its mouth, cradled by its enormous teeth, was a campfire surrounded by trees, and a Hearthian wearing a space suit. </p><p>“Feldspar, I presume,” Worf said, upon landing, attracted by some kind of artificial gravitational force.</p><p>Feldspar lowered their instrument into their lap.<br/>
“The one and only. And who might you be?”</p><p>“I am Lieutenant Commander Worf, of the Federation Starship Enterprise. It is my mission to warn you that your sun will become a supernova in less than four minutes and your entire solar system will be destroyed. However, you are welcome to join us on the Enterprise and escape the explosion if you wish to survive.”</p><p>“I’ve survived this long. Seems a shame to die now.” Feldspar shrugged.</p><p>“Indeed. The other Hearthians are all aboard the Enterprise already. They thought you were dead.”</p><p>“What!” Feldspar shook their head. “Me, killed off by thorny, extradimensional plants that entirely violate the laws of space and time, and a couple of giant predatory fish with gaping maws and enormously sharp fangs? Not in this lifetime.”</p><p>Worf looked around the little camp. He wanted to see the ship that had successfully evaded the angler fish.<br/>
“Where is your ship?”</p><p>“Oh, this is a good story.” Feldspar leant forward. “I’d just finished exploring the core of Giant’s Deep and needed a new challenge, and none of us had ever been inside Dark Bramble, so I think, hey, let’s give that a try. I’ve been cruising around for a while, dodging the odd massive, interdimensional vine bristling with thorns, when I run into this huge anglerfish, the biggest I’ve ever seen. I pull a few stunts, try to shake the thing off — nothing too fancy. I’m going full-speed when the fish clips me, knocks me into a vine, and… ...well, like I said, I crash. Blammo! On impact, my ship starts making noises like it’s coming apart from the inside, and I think, well, that ain’t great. Sure enough, I barely get out of there before the electrical systems start sparking like crazy. It’s either move fast or die unpleasantly, so I had to put a little distance between me and my poor, fried ship...”</p><p>Worf checked the time remaining on his tricorder and wondered how much longer Feldspar could draw out the story.</p><p>The Hearthian continued. “... I camped out near where I crashed at first, inside a vine. I found this skeleton later — great find, would’ve been stupid not to use it. So I moved my setup over here and planted these tree seeds. Been here ever since "</p><p>“Is your ship still at the crash site?” asked Worf.</p><p>“Yep, not far from here, as a matter of fact! If you go straight past the tail of this anglerfish skeleton here, you’ll see a flickering light in the fog. Follow that, and you’ll find my old ship. What’s left of it, anyway.”</p><p>“Thank you.” Worf nodded. “If you are ready, I will transport you aboard the Enterprise.”</p><p>“All I need’s my harmonica.” Feldspar held it aloft. “Let’s go!”</p><p>Worf gave the command to O’Brien to lock-on and energise, then watched the Hearthian disappear into the blue beam. Over the comms, he could hear the rest of the away team were still deployed, exploring the solar system for clues about the Nomai. He could not retreat to safety while his crewmates were still out on a mission. Whatever secrets the Dark Bramble might hold could be helpful, somehow. The least he could do was explore this chamber, where he was safe from hostile lifeforms. </p><p>He followed Feldspar’s instructions to find the abandoned craft. It looked very crude in its construction, but Worf could not inspect it closely due to its hazardous electrical faults. Instead, he entered the thorny vine through the hole punched by Fealdspar’s crash, and followed the tunnel inside. The spatial anomalies in Dark Bramble seemed to be caused by the seeds and the vines somehow, and Worf figured the interior of a vine might yield some useful discoveries.</p><p>The tunnel narrowed to a small opening, which turned out to be the entrance to another seed. Inside the seed was a chamber full of jellyfish, and a few of Feldspar’s notes from when they first crashed.</p><p>Worf tapped his combadge. “Worf to Commander Data, did you say you were trying to reach the core of Giant’s Deep?”</p><p>“Yes,” said the Android.</p><p>“I have met a Hearthian astronaut who has reached the core,” said Worf. “One of their notes indicates that jellyfish are useful for electrical insulation.”</p><p>“Thank you, Lieutenant.”</p><p>Worf checked his tricorder. Only two minutes remained.<br/>
“Is there enough time remaining to reach it?”</p><p>“I will soon find out.”</p><p>“Qapla’,” said Worf.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Ash Twin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geordi attempts to enter the ATP</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time remaining: 4 minutes
</p><p>Geordi stood on the warp platform and looked up through the broken ceiling at the sun.</p><p>This was the only warp tower built in a matching pair, and since the opposite tower had taken him back to Ember Twin, it was reasonable to assume that the one he now stood in would take him to the Ash Twin Project, and the Nomai writing on the wall all but confirmed it.<br/>
But what astrological body did the warp platform need to align with to activate? Only time would tell, but each agonising second brought him closer to the undeniable deadline literally hanging over his head.</p><p>
There was a dull, far-off roaring sound that was rising in volume. Geordi had heard the same sound while standing on Ember Twin, and he recognised it as the column of falling sand that connected the planetoid sisters. It was getting closer.<br/>
Up above the tower, the edge of Ember Twin was coming into view. Geordi wondered if aligning with it might activate the warp platform. It was worth a try. His suit would protect him from the sand.</p><p>The roar was almost deafening as the sand reached the tower. Geordi braced himself for a barrage from above, but the sand that struck him came from below.<br/>
Of course, the sand was flowing from Ash Twin <i>to</i> Ember Twin. When he realised his mistake, it was too late. His feet were leaving the ground and he was lifted up and out of the tower. It was an odd sensation. Then he started to fall head-first, attracted by Ember Twin’s gravity, and he had to the fire his thrusters on maximum to break his fall. It was a messy landing. He ended up half buried in sand.<br/>
He was about to get back up and brush the sand off himself when Data’s voice came through his helmet comms.</p><p>“Geordi. Did you find the Ash Twin Project?” he asked.</p><p>“I couldn’t find anything on the surface of Ash Twin, so I think the ATP must be underground somewhere. Chief O’Brien said the core was too dense to scan, let alone trying to transport into it. There’s a warp tower that I think used to lead to it, but the roof is broken and the hourglass effect chucked me out.”</p><p>“Which tower is it?”</p><p>“It doesn’t matter. There’s no time to try it again now. Even if you could get inside, there’d be no way to transport you out so you could be stuck in there.”</p><p>Data was as unflappable as ever. “I appreciate your concern, but the ATP must be stopped or we may be trapped here forever. Not only that, but the entire universe will be stuck repeating this twenty-two-minute time period indefinitely.”</p><p>Geordi scrambled to his feet.<br/>
“Then I’ll go! I’m here already.”</p><p>“Thank you, Geordi.” Even without real emotion, Data could still sound genuinely touched sometimes. “But it must be me. I have a plan, but if I explained it now there would not be enough time remaining to execute it.”</p><p>Geordi checked his tricorder. Three minutes remained until the supernova.</p><p>“Alright, I’ll tell you how to get there, but that plan of yours had better be good.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading<br/>Please leave a comment to let me know what you thought of the chapter, or the story as a whole, and have a great day.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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